This invention pertains generally to heat exchangers and more particularly to a solar heat exchange panel and method of manufacturing the same.
In recent years, it has been recognized that solar energy represents a substantially inexhaustible energy source, whereas fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are limited in supply and rising in cost. There have been some efforts to utilize solar energy in applications such as space heating and water heating to make more fossil fuel available for applications such as transportation and electric power generation.
Even though solar energy is available at no cost, collectors heretofore provided for gathering solar energy have made this form of energy more costly than fossil fuels. Prior art collectors have been made of wood, metal, glass and rigid plastic, and they are relatively expensive to construct. The size and weight of such collectors make them difficult to handle and result in high shipping, storage and installation costs. The cost of prior art collectors is further increased by the plumbing generally required in their installation.